As the crew entered the village, they were greeted with cheers.
Ryan felt anxious as the Orcs walked up to him to just pat his shoulder and move on.
Some orcs built a massive bonfire, while others were bringing out massive casks.
As the entire village began their festivities, Ryan felt overwhelmed by the noise.
He turned to Bell.
"I will be right back."
She looked back with a smile on her face.
"Where are you going?"
He answered almost immediately.
"Bathroom."
She nodded, and he escaped the sounds.
He walked to the outskirts to collect himself.
He punched a tree as hard as he could.
As his hit landed, he spoke to himself.
"Why am I like this?"
He heard a familiar voice behind him.
"You should not punch trees. It is bad for your bones."
As he spun around, he saw Femur sitting on a branch.
"What are you doing here?"
Femur deftly climbed down the tree.
"I enjoy watching others from afar. It reminds me of my time as a man."
Ryan leaned against the tree and slid into a sitting position.
"I thought I could be there, but the noise was too much. What should I do?"
The old skeleton squatted next to Ryan.
"What you do does not matter, as long as you do not do so alone."
Ryan smiled at the advice.
"Femur, the one you loved. Would you tell me about her?"
To his surprise, Femur sighed.
"It may surprise you, but I did not know her for long. My love for her grew when I learned the depth of her soul from those left behind."
Ryan listened as he continued.
"As a young man, I was filled with anger and sadness. She had accidentally offended me, and before I could accept her apology, she had passed."
Femur then held his hand out for Ryan.
As he stood, Ryan asked.
"What was her name?"
Femur shook his head.
"I do not mind sharing my story, but her name belongs only to me. Go to your beloved; she will understand your struggles."
Ryan walked back to the village.
He wondered what kind of man Femur was.
Those thoughts disappeared when he saw a wild redhead dancing next to the bonfire.
At that moment, all the sound seemed to disappear.
When she saw him, she ran up to him and hugged him.
His arms hung limply at his sides.
As the shock receded, he put his arms around her waist.
As he held her, he whispered into her ear.
"I couldn't handle the noise. I needed a moment."
She pulled back just enough to look into his eyes.
"Why didn't you tell me? I would've gone with you."
He looked down for a second.
"I know, but there is always a part of myself that tells me that you will leave."
With a tender smile, she spoke.
"If you want proof that I won't leave, here you go."
She almost dove in and kissed him on the lips.
It felt like he was struck by lightning.
All he could think of was her in his arms.
All he could hear was the cheers and whistles of the Orcs.
All he could taste was the beer she had been drinking.
He felt her grip on him tightening, and he followed suit.
After what felt like a lifetime, she let go.
"How was that?"
He tried to speak, but his mouth opening and closing made him look like a love-sick fish.
She laughed so hard that tremors went through him.
When he could finally speak, he confessed without thinking.
"That was my first kiss."
She hugged him again.
"If you want to go somewhere quieter, we can go."
With a smile, he hugged her.
"We can go in a short while. I am happy here."
Ryan did his best to dance with Bell.
To him, it didn't matter if he made a fool of himself; for the first time, he was happy.
The only disruption of that happiness came in the form of Eragon throwing his arms around them.
He hugged both of them tight and lifted them off their feet.
"You guys are great!"
Ryan managed to slip out of his arms, but Bell was still trapped.
"Put her down."
At Ryan's order, Eragon saw only one person in his arms.
Eragon grew a mischievous grin.
He put Bell down and went for Ryan.
Even in his drunken state, he was too fast for Ryan.
He grabbed him in a tight hug and lifted him to his shoulder.
He turned to the crowd and yelled.
"This guy saved my life!"
The crowd roared, and Ryan had never felt so embarrassed.
"Put him down."
Ryan felt Eragon stiffen as he saw an annoyed Grizzly and a laughing Eena.
He gently put Ryan down and spoke to them.
"Sorry, Griz. I wanted to-"
Grizzly didn't let him finish as he grabbed him by the horn.
"Leave them be. They were enjoying themselves until you interrupted them."
Grizzly forced Eragon to look at Ryan and Bell.
"Sorry, dude. I don't know what came over me."
Ryan took a deep breath and answered.
"It is fine. How about instead of throwing me around, we play some games tomorrow?"
Eragon let out a sigh of relief and gave Ryan a thumbs-up from his awkward position.
The rest of the night was spent having a good time with the Orcs.
The highlight of the night was the armwrestling tournament.
Eragon came second after Kull, while Grizzly came third.
The second highlight came when Ryan was searching for Bell.
He found Grizzly and Eena making out behind one of the huts.
In embarrassment, he apologised and turned around.
He heard their laughter as he hurried away.
When he found Bell, she was sitting next to the bonfire, staring into the flames.
He sat next to her, and she plopped her head on his shoulder.
"Wild night, right?"
He took a deep breath.
"A little too wild for me."
As she laughed, he felt her head bob on his shoulder.
She sat up straight and locked eyes with him.
"Come with me. Let's go to the clearing and do some stargazing."
He stood up quickly and held out his hand.
Even with his help, she struggled to her feet.
They walked to a nearby clearing.
The moment she could see the sky, Bell lay down on her back.
Ryan took his place next to her.
She took hold of his hand and spoke.
"How are you holding up?"
After a moment of silence, Ryan spoke.
"I am fine."
She gave his hand a firm squeeze.
"That's not what I meant, and I know you weren't fine this afternoon."
He squeezed her hand back.
"I don't want to worry you, but if I am not fine, I will tell you."
He heard her take a deep breath.
"You don't have to wait that long. Even if things are fine, you can tell me."
With a small smile, he answered..
"Thank you, Isabelle. I will try to remember that."
She sat up.
"Ryan, what was it-, no forget about it. I'm sorry."
Ryan sat up next to her; he knew what she wanted to ask.
He took a deep breath.
"When I was a teenager, they came for me. According to them, I could pass for human much better than other halfbreeds."
He shifted until he faced her.
"That is why I keep my ponytail the way I do, to hide my ears."
She decided to speak up.
"Why did they want you to be human passing?"
He steeled himself.
"I was part of the Silver Tongues, but they have multiple divisions. The most famous one is the Jovial Killers, who hunt people. I was part of the Hunting Jesters; we only hunted nonhumans."
Bell held her hand to her mouth, but she didn't dare interrupt.
"Because I am half-Elven, I do have certain advantages. Like enhanced reflexes, agility and my shadow ability. It works to my favour if my enemy thinks I am human."
He stopped for a moment to collect his thoughts.
"My main prey was Orcs, but I was lied to. I was taught they were mindless creatures that wanted everyone dead."
He squeezed her hand hard.
Bell let go of his hand, and just as the thought of her leaving entered his mind, she hugged him.
"You don't have to say anything else. It must've been so hard."
All he could do was cling to her and say.
"It was. I still have nightmares."
They both lay back and drifted to sleep.
The next morning, Ryan felt something in his hand.
It was a ruffled piece of paper.
When he opened it, his blood ran cold.
On one side was the symbol of the Silver Tongues.
He truly hated the design of the comedy and tragedy masks in their perverted form.
The way both were smiling with dangling tongues gave no nuance to their motivation.
They revelled in death and pain.
On the other side was a simple letter addressed to him.
"Dear Defect
In this very clearing you shall be found,
Unless your loved one be bound.
To the death we shall duel,
Or in her neck will be my tool.
Regards
She who laughs at your tears"
Only after he finished the letter a few times did he start breathing again.